The Black Son
by 21stAtlas
Summary: For the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, family comes before all else. For Orion Black, son of mass murderer Sirius Black this is no different. It's time to start Hogwarts and time for a new generation to fix the mistakes of the past, ushering the return of an era of great magic. Though as we all know, some magics are just as terrible as they are great. Chapter 1 Fixed! AU
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - The Letter

DISCLAIMER - All rights pertaining to the intellectual property that is Harry Potter belong to J.K Rowling. I own no part of it.

"Tempus..." Orion whispered

6:55:10

The numbers appeared on his arm, emitting a faint glow that illuminated the hallway. He moved silently and low to the ground. While it wasn't particularly early in the morning he had no intention of provoking the wrath of the Black women, they prized their sleep like a dragon prized its gold, and Orion knew well never to tickle a sleeping dragon.

"You would think they would be a little more excited considering today's the day" he grumbled as he waved away the spell. Orion couldn't do much without a wand, but enough lessons from his Aunt Cassiopeia and twice as many hexes to boot, he, Draco and Dora could conjure simple bits of magic. Things like a spark of a flame or a ball of light. While seemingly mundane the lessons weren't meant to teach them spells, that was left till Hogwarts. Rather they focused on how to control their magic, mainly by reading innumerable texts most much older than the children themselves and time spent mastering their Mindcraft. Contrary to popular muggle belief, magic didn't simply revolve around the clarity of one's incantation and the release of magical energy. Half the art revolved around the nature in which one moulded their mind to signal intent, depending on the school of magic these structures of thought would manifest in different ways, akin to different dialects of an overarching language. Identical at the foundation yet divergent in their nuances and intricacies. Such studies mainly revolved around long hours spent in meditation or refining one's mental faculties through exercises. Though quite insignificant in comparison to the real magic taught once one entered Hogwarts, it laid a foundation, and kept the Black children leaps and bounds ahead of their peers, most others were simply tutored in writing, arithmetic and etiquette.

He reached the end of the corridor and made his way down the stairs.

"Merlin! Could time go any slower?!" Orion spoke a bit louder than intended. He stops dead in his tracks as he heard grumbling down the hall. How his cousin could sleep in on a day as important as this he couldn't fathom.

Before he could continue he heard the sound of an apparition.

"Master appears to be in distress!"

He turned to see the vague shape of his favourite house elf.

"Its nothing Kreacher "He assuaged his magical servant.

He crouched down to get a better look at the house elf's face in the dark. He couldn't help but have a grin on his face.

"It's just that today's the day" He whispered unable to keep the excitement out of his voice.

Upon the old house elf's face materialised a smile.

"Yes, yes." He spoke with a knowing tone. "Master finally gets his letter from Hogwarts."

Kreacher was the oldest of the elves bonded to House Black. Born into the service of Orion's Grandfather, Kreacher served faithfully until his masters premature passing. It was custom for a House Elf to serve the next in line following the death of their master. However due to turbulent events in the family's history, both sons were indisposed thus leaving Kreacher to imprint on young Orion. They were thick as thieves. Such was the unique nature of the bond between Master and House elf. While a normal elf could certainly be trusted to serve the members of a House unreservedly, they were ultimately servants, servants incapable of much more than following orders. Personal House Elves on the other hand were known to develop a distinct character. One that has been attributed by wizarding scholars to the magical bond that existed between said elf and its master. As a result, they were much more personable and wizard- like developing a formidable reputation for going above and beyond for their master. Kreacher was no different.

"Kreacher has seen many a member of house Black in a similar state such as master the days before their letters arrived." The old elf croaked in amusement

" Your telling me Grandfather did the same thing?" Orion asked with a glint in his eye.

Orion's Grandfather and namesake was considered the picture of refinement and strong breeding during his life and his portrait most certainly carried on those traits. While Orion was no slouch, the constant corrections that were rattled off as he was walking past his portrait in a corridor or during a conversation in the drawing room was bothersome. So, any dirt Orion could get on his Grandfather's prized decorum was worth all the gold in Gringotts.

Kreacher responded with a similar glint in his eyes "I remember Master Orion was so excited he waited overnight up on the balcony of Grimmauld Place, hoping to intercept the owl early, it seemed reasonable until..." The wizened elf suddenly stopped, the smile on his face becoming more pronounced.

"Master made Kreacher promise not to tell you anymore embarrassing stories. "

Orion cursed. "Damn the old canvas was a step ahead. I guess the decorations made to his portrait last Samhain must have pushed him over the edge."

Suddenly reminded of his current objective, he walked as speedily as possible toward his intended destination repeatedly whispering the incantation.

"Tempus!"

6:59:15

"Kreacher its almost here!" Orion shouted losing all pretence of maintaining silence.

He ran up to the window unlatching it as he shouted again

"Tempus!"

6:59:55

"Here it comes Kreacher!"

5

4

3

2

1

...

...

...

There was no letter to be seen.

"Where in Helga's name is it?" he questioned out loud.

"It couldn't be late could it? No... Hogwarts mail is never late" The Black heir started pacing back and forth in front of the open window.

"Maybe it was the wards!" He thought "The black wards were notorious for being the strongest in Magical Britain."

"What if you only get one chance to get the letter!" He ruminated

"What if they think that i don't want to go to Hogwarts!"

"Kreacher! Go wake Aunt Andromeda! It's an emergency" he shouted in a panic.

"Master... "Kreacher spoke up looking at the window behind Orion's shoulder.

"Now!" Orion boomed.

Kreacher apparated away

He continued pacing "This is terrible! What am I go-"The scion of House Black's ramblings were interrupted by a live projectile impacting with his head.

"OWWW!"

The owl unable to free its talons from the boy's long hair started hooting and flapping its wings in terror.

"GET OFF!" The young heir shouted trying to grab at the bird, however further action was interrupted by the last voice he wanted to hear at that moment.

"What is going on here!"

"Dragons balls..." Orion muttered raising his eyes in trepidation to face the voices origin.

His action was rewarded with the sight of two women. One staring furiously while the other wore the eerily accurate expression of a monkey trying its best not to laugh.

"uhhhh Hi Auntie" Orion stuttered

With the most innocent tone he was capable of emitting he continued "I was just waiting for the letters to arrive..."

"So, you felt you had to tackle the owl to the ground and roll about the floor like a dog, did you?" His aunt responded with a tone of resignation.

"It wasn't my fault the bloody thing caught me unawares and has got its damn talons stuck in my hair" He complained, hoping to justify his current state.

Andromeda Black was not impressed by the young man's explanation and her daughter Nymphadora judging by her current state, rolling around the floor laughing much to Orion's dismay, it was clear she wasn't either.

"Language Orion" The mother of two sighed insufferably.

"And Nymphadora get off the floor, its unbecoming"

The young girl immediately hopped off the floor her hair morphing into a fiery red

"Don't call me Nymphadora" She whined.

Andromeda simply rolled her eyes, signalling the repetitive nature of the conversation in question.

"It's your name, no matter how much you refuse to accept it as such. Learn to be proud of it."

The young girl's hair dulled to a sulky green matching the expression on her face.

"One must always listen to their mother Nymphadora" Orion spoke with glee relishing the glare she sent his way.

The lady of the house then turned to Orion who was still trying to untangle the owl from his hair.

"And you young man. Her voice becoming once again stern "Kreacher apparating into my room shouting emergency is not the way I expect nor would ever prefer to wake up."

"Now stand still" as she moved to remove the owl from the lad's cranium.

While his Aunt Andromeda untangled the distressed owl from his hair muttering about the Black family madness setting in, Orion spotted two letters on the floor

"They're here!" He shouted

Dora's eyes snapped to where Orion was pointing and ran to them.

"yes finally!" she said in excitement picking them up and passing Orion his own.

"Let's read them together" she said finally reflecting the excitement Orion felt at that moment.

They both opened the letter with a haste that was only dampened by the fear of potentially damaging the precious letters.

They both read aloud.

"Dear Master/Miss Black. We are pleased to inform you, you have been accepted into Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" They finished with a cheer.

It was Andromeda's turn to smile brightly, her eyes going misty.

"Congratulations you two..." She said softly.

"It seems like only yesterday you two were in diapers and now your off to Hogwarts." She said enveloping them in a hug.

Orion returned it in full force.

Orion loved Andromeda dearly. Despite him calling her aunt, she was the closest thing he had to a mother and she loved and cared for him as if he were her own son. He guessed he shouldn't have expected otherwise, after all, to the Blacks family matters most.

"Don't worry Aunt Andromeda it's not like we aren't gonna be around forever. We will be around for Yule and Summer." Orion spoke consolingly though the effect was slightly ruined due to his voice being muffled by his aunt's shoulder.

Dora nodded vigorously trying to blink back her own tears as her hair cycled through a variety of colours.

Orion silently chuckled "guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" he thought.

Orion knew more than anyone that there was more to Dora than met the eye. While the cheery almost euphoric personality she exuded was certainly her, she had another side as well. One that as long as Orion knew her she couldn't convey to most except a rare few like him. More usually she tended to simply morph instead. While Orion knew it wasn't exactly healthy he had no leg to stand on because he considered himself worse in that regard, at least she had the hair.

Andromeda ruffled his hair fondly.

"Don't get into too much trouble. I don't want to hear news of the school being burnt down in the prophet" she said in a mocking tone that held just a hint of genuine concern. The boy was still a Black after all.

"Don't worry you will know way before the Prophet gets a hold of it" Orion said flashing her a cheeky smile.

It was immediate. Andromeda went as pale as a ghost. Her eyes cold as ice, her posture rigid like stone. It was only for a second, but Orion caught the flash of immense pain in her face.

It was gone in a heartbeat.

The Lady Black then returned a dangerous smile worthy of the family name and one Orion was sure would have made Godric Gryffindor himself run with his tail between his legs.

"I wouldn't be too excited, after all it would be you explaining to your Great Grandfather why the scion of house Black wouldn't be graduating Hogwarts"

Orion gave her a mostly mock shudder.

"Now go get ready you two, we are going over to Grimmauld Place. I am sure the rest of the family would love to give you their regards."

"Will Draco be there?" Orion asked knowing all too well his cousin was just as excited as he was.

"Yes, the whole family will be there" she replied as she sent the dishevelled owl that was now sitting on their window perch, off on its way.

The two children complied and set off for their rooms.

As Orion walked up to his room clutching his letter he mused on the look his aunt gave him. He knew she didn't mean to show it, but he had received enough looks like that from the rest of his family to know what it meant.

He knew it was because he reminded them of him.

"The man famed for betraying his friends". He laughed bitterly.

"The bastard that ruined my family's name".

"The monster that murdered my mother"

"My father Sirius Black" he finally whispered with a hatred that did not belong in a voice so young.

Yet Orion felt it justified as even after all these years imprisoned in Azkaban, the man still found ways to haunt him, like the bogeyman who haunts the minds of children when they sleep, causing him and his family unimaginable pain. Orion hoped the dementors lived up to their reputation. He deserved every bit of pain he caused us tenfold.

Orion now stood still in the middle of the corridor, immersed in his dark thoughts.

"Even that wouldn't be enough" he mentally cursed. "It won't be enough until I find out."

"Why?" he whispered

"Then I will kill the filthy blood traitor myself!" He silently vowed not for the first time in his life.

His thoughts were ceased by a wary voice.

"Orion…"

He turned to see his Nymphadora looking at him with her hair a dark dull blue and a deeply concerned expression on her face.

"You okay?" she said, "You looked… trouble."

Orion couldn't help but smile. He thought it thoughtful of his cousin to describe the iron mask of a face he tended to wear when his mind was conquered by such thoughts in such a delicate manner.

He simply wrapped his hands around her shoulders.

"It's nothing dear cousin" he grinned maliciously.

"Just thinking of all the different ways that we are going to torture dear Ronald once we get to Hogwarts." He said in a sickly-sweet voice.

Nymphadora's hair retained her usual hot pink as she snorted and returned the malicious smile.

They both laughed

"Now let us go forth!" Orion announced in an overly grandiose fashion.

"Grimmauld Place Awaits!"

Authors note

Whew! That rewrite took longer than expected. Hopefully its not as much of a disaster to read as last time. At the least its more consistent with the latter chapters. It's a bit more than a simple translation into third person. I rewrote some parts here and added some more stuff there so hopefully for you lovely people who have already read the previous chapter, its worth the reread. I am off on a road trip for a few days so I'm not sure what that will do for my progress on the next chapter. Hopefully I will find some peace and quiet amongst it all to work on it. Anyway, as always, I hope you enjoy the chapter, please feel free to comment and or ask questions and I shall be happy to respond within reason. Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and have a splendid new year.


	2. Chapter 2

Authors note – Oh the shame! I couldn't believe some of the punctuational errors I found reading the previous chapter just a day later. I guess the nervousness of publishing a new story mixed with the excitement of getting it out there resulted in a mess of a job. I give you my sincerest apologies and promise to go back when time permits to fix up the chapter. I would do it sooner, but I am sure you guys would rather have me work on new chapters instead of spending time patching up old ones, though I reassure you it will be done. Now I wanted to ask you guys about the perspective in which the book is written. While I have the outline for the plot, the nature in which it should be told is something I am conflicted with. I mainly wanted to write it in Orion's perspective at first but the more and more I think about it the less logical that seems, especially because Harry is going to intimately involved in the plot and I intend to explore things from his end as well. It seems weird to have Orion exclusively voice these thoughts in his head. Hence, I am going to try this chapter in the third person. I want to know what you guys think and whether you prefer the previous style over this. If the decision is made to change permanently I will go and fix up the previous chapter to make it consistent so don't worry.

DISCLAIMER : I DONT OWN HARRY POTTER. THE LICENSE AND RIGHTS BELONG TO J.K ROWLING.

Chapter 2 – The Family

"12 Grimmauld Place!"

Orion always enjoyed the floo. While port keys felt like someone was cramming you through a thimble and side long apparating was like having someone tear you up as if you were a foot of parchment, floo travel was like the floor gave way and you were falling with a breeze hitting your face. Sadly, it never took too long with the longest trip lasting only a minute and that was all the way to the Château in France.

The flames died out and Orion walked into the drawing room. Gothic elegance was the way you would describe it, the house primarily consisted of browns, greys, whites and of course black. It was a place that smelled of history and Orion loved it. The walls of the ancestral home were filled to the brim with all sorts of magical artefacts going back years either invented, discovered or won via the spoils of war. While Orion's guardian was technically Aunt Andromeda he spent just as much if not more time here than the Tonks cottage. It was his home.

"Grandfather Arcturus!"

"Grandmother Melania!"

Nothing. He assumed they were in the garden. He would go find them in a minute. There were a few people he needed to see first.

Grimmauld Place was magical wonder. Very few magical buildings could occupy Muggle London, certainly none were magical households. Orion considered it a testament to the Black clan's madness that when muggles started encroaching further and magical families started fleeing to the countryside, they instead decided to stay and instead build wards, runes, charms and enchantments so powerful they could exist care free right under their bloody noses. And thanks to such a feat, the size of the manor did not have to be sacrificed either. Its what allowed in his opinion the best part of the house to exist.

The family hall

It was the largest part of the house with the ceiling going so high you could see clouds, apparently similar enchantment existed at Hogwarts. Orion walked into the middle of the room which was quite sparsely decorated with but for a few chairs, but it didn't matter because the walls were what held this rooms delight.

The portraits.

The noise was like walking through Diagon Alley, the only difference was the voices belonging to relatives from completely different epochs in time, all chatting and enjoying each other's company. Every descendant of House Black held a portrait in this room, going back centuries.

Out of all the magic in the world, Orion loved the portraits. He knew he spent an unhealthy amount of time simply talking to them. He didn't care. Not only did they hold the experiences and knowledge of innumerable lifetimes, but they were his kin. He didn't need the kindness and acceptance of strangers who looked upon him and his family with mistrust and disdain, The Black's looked after their own and he would always be welcomed and cared for by them and that meant more than anything.

"Hello! There young Orion!".

Orion glanced to his right at the painting of Corvus Black. Standing tall and regal in front of his hamlet with the family manor being rebuilt in the background. Corvus' father was a Ravenclaw and had a particular fondness for necromancy, liberally spending away the family wealth to aid his pursuits. It eventually led to the accidental opening of a demonic portal that unleashed all manner of horrors upon the manor subsequently destroying it and placing a curse upon the land. The failure drove his father to suicide, leaving only a letter to begging a young Corvus who was adventuring abroad after his studies at Hogwarts to return home and right his father's wrongs. And that was what he did, studying hard and recruiting a collection of all manner of magical beings to aid him on his quest eventually banishing the demons to the hell from which they came. The Black family owed a lot to him and it is in honour of him the family crest dedicates a space to a raven to this day. Orion felt he shared a connection to Corvus. He too had to right his father's wrongs.

"Lord Black a pleasure as always" While the conversations they shared over the years made them close it wouldn't do for him to forget the proper procedures.

"Ah none of that lad. What brings you here today with such a skip in your step"

Orion knew the way his ancestor spoke, people would never have considered him Slytherin, he internally sighed.

'just another thing we are unjustly hated for.'

"I come bearing good news, but I'd rather tell the lot of you if you wouldn't mind, could you come over to the castle courtyard?"

There was a sparkle in his eyes "Ah it must be good news indeed to invite everyone over, I shall see you there" and with that he disappeared into the neighbouring portraits

Orion smiled. As much as he would love to talk to them all individually he knew it would take weeks, hence he walked over to one particular painting that hung in the middle of the central wall.

The painting depicted the rather large courtyard of Castle Black, its walls were covered with vines holding all sorts of magical flowers, the courtyard itself looked like it was set for a large family gathering which was rather the intention for the painting to begin with.

Since Orion lacked a wand to cast the sonorous charm, Grandfather Arcturus enchanted a gramophone horn to achieve the same effect.

"DEAR LORDS AND LADIES OF HOUSE BLACK! I ORION BLACK SCION OF HOUSE BLACK COME BEARING GOOD TIDINGS! I HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED INTO HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY!"

All the chatter went silent. Instead it was replaced by a faint rumble that was slowly getting louder and louder.

SLAM!

The entrances to the courtyard burst right open and in rushed a horde of witches and wizards as different as could be. While most were garbed in dress robes, others were attired in pelts and their skin was littered with markings in a

manner that marked them out as the earlier generations of the house. The Black family was born out of the union between Celtic and Germanic tribes hence the gothic aesthetic that seemed to permeate throughout the family and everything it did. Nonetheless despite such great differences you could tell they were all members of House Black, it wasn't just the grey eyes and black hair, more the way they all held themselves, the air about them. Orion couldn't help but break into a full grin at that. They were just like him.

He stood still with a patience most others his age lacked as distant aunties and grandmothers crooned and crowed over him while the males voiced their pride and words of advice.

He even spoke to Headmaster Phineas who was thrilled to see Black blood in Hogwarts again.

"A Black always managed to stand head and shoulders above his peers, I expect you to be no different." he said

Orion smiled.

"Believe me Uncle Phineas, I had no intention of breaking that tradition"

He chatted with them amicably for several minutes however he was looking for someone in particular, suddenly a loud voice made itself known within the portrait.

"Out of my way! that's my Grandson"

As the crowds parted the origin of the voice was made clear

And finally, a couple wading through the crowd could be seen, Walburga and Orion Arcturus Black.

"Hello son! Apparently, you have something to show me?" His Grandfather said with his voice filled with mirth.

If put side by side Orion would be considered the spitting image of his Grandfather, something that pleased him to no end, they both shared the same looks and mannerisms but for a few distinct differences, Orion was tall for his age, broad shouldered and barrel chested.

Orion Black senior on the other hand wasn't a physically imposing man, he contracted a severe bout of dragon pox at a young age and as a result was riddled with poor health for the rest of his life making him look quite thin, short and frail. Yet despite this he exuded a presence that intimidated all that walked among him. While to friends he came off as fun loving and mischievous when angered his mannerisms would warp into the malicious with a smile and laugh so morbid it was apparently bone chilling. If his persona wasn't enough his mastery of magic afforded him the respect or fear of his peers, while his poor health prevented him from excelling at duelling or quidditch his mastery over charms and wards were unparalleled even by Dumbledore and earned him many accolades including the reverence of the current Charms professor Flitwick who was apparently studied under him. That in tandem with his affinity for the family magic made him a terror, it made Orion want to emulate him that much more.

He held up the letter to the portrait

"Congratulations my sweet boy! I am sure you will do our family proud!" Walburga gushed.

The portrait of Orion cheered then came in close "that a boy! Practically a man, The family's future rests on your shoulders lad. every Black that has walked through those hallowed halls has made something of him or herself. Your great grandfather, me, your father and you must be no different.

Orion's smile dimmed at that, as alive as magical portraits made their subjects it was moments like these that you could tell the people they depicted weren't really with us. The realism of a magical portrait was predicated on the power of the wizard or witch that enchanted it. While the Black family portraits were some of the best in the field there were still limits. He couldn't possibly explain the state of family affairs to his grandfather. There were certain aspects of their view you couldn't change no matter what, when he told his Grandfather about what his father did he just couldn't process it, he would just shake his head in anger and confusion and forget you said anything of the sort. He guessed It was in order to keep them from going mad.

"I will Grandfather."

Then Orion senior cracked a mischievous smile. "Now let me tell you the trick about how to get the suits of armour on your side"

Orion junior grinned in an eerily similar manner.

Their machinations were interrupted by a voice at the door.

"I thought I would find you here"

His Grandfathers portrait mimed a throat slitting motion

Orion laughed nervously

"Morning Lord Black"

Authors note – I know I may be moving really slow, but I do apologise. Expect events to speed up shortly. I just need to lay the foundation for certain things now, so I don't have to conduct such mass expositions in later chapters. Also starting a fanfic around Christmas probably wasn't the smartest idea as my time is more finite then ever, hopefully when the celebrations die down I will be able to write longer meatier chapters. Anyway enjoy and let me know what you think.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Family Pt II

DISCLAIMER - All rights pertaining to the intellectual property that is Harry Potter belong to J.K Rowling. I own no part of it.

Authors Note - Just to make it clear early on this fic is AU. As you can see I have already messed around with the canon quite a bit and there is a lot more to come. The plot however will follow the chronology of the books. With that being said I intend on raising the Hogwarts attendance age to thirteen. Maybe its just me but when I think back to myself at eleven, I doubt I was very bright. It just doesn't make much sense for kids so young to think and act so mature in my opinion. While even thirteen may not be enough I feel its much more plausible than eleven. So, the first years are thirteen now and the seventh years graduate when they are nineteen. Now with that out of the way, enjoy!

Chapter 3 – The Family Pt2

"I knew I would find you in here" He said with a sly voice as he stood leaning against the entrance to the hall.

Arcturus Black was the closest thing Orion had to a father. Ever since Orion could walk he would had been on his Great Grandfathers heels every chance he could get, asking questions about virtually everything. Despite displaying a childlike exuberance that after extended durations may have been considered grating, Arcturus never stopped him. Every question was answered, and every curiosity was explained and sated. While most of his family were content to treat him as a child, Arcturus was the only one who took him seriously and treated him like an adult. As soon as Orion was capable, Arcturus took him under his wing teaching him about every facet of the wizarding world, its history and how it functioned. He taught him the intricacies and nuances of pureblood society and how to not only navigate through its politics but how to use them to his advantage and thrive. While Orion was more than willing to learn, it did come with its downsides, mainly situations like the one in front of him.

"You mean the wards alerted you to my presence" Orion said with a confidence that mostly didn't exist within him at that moment.

He and Arcturus played this game of wits often and while Orion was quite the Machiavellian fiend for his age, it didn't reduce his fear of failure in regards to the head of his family. Arcturus was as kind as he was vicious, much like most Black's in that regard, however recent years and events made the latter aspect stand out more than the former. It wasn't unnecessary mind you, Orion perfectly understood where his Great grandfather was coming from. His family which once resided at the top of the wizarding world now lay shattered. Shattered due to what he believed was arrogance and complacency, something they couldn't afford anymore. There was no more room for mistakes, especially mistakes made by him, the future head of house. However, while he accepted it, and even expected to appreciate it one day, he had no reason to enjoy the immense "challenges" his Great Grandfather would heap on him in the present, especially the punishments that tended to follow the inevitable failures. While Orion was sure he was a much better wizard than he ought to be at his age because of it, it didn't stop him from walking on eggshells around his Great Grandfather, despite how much he adored him.

"That doesn't invalidate my comment" Arcturus replied off handedly

"No but it does negate the sense of awe that you intended to inspire in me" Orion replied in a similar blasé manner.

Arcturus simply displayed a smile of acceptance at his efforts

Orion released a sigh of relief, covertly of course. He was now on safer ground.

"Should your great grandmother and I be insulted that you sought to provide your good news to the dead first rather than the living?" His Great Grandfather questioned with an arched eyebrow

Orion smiled guiltily.

Arcturus walked up to him and ruffled his hair. He was the only person who didn't object to Orion developing such a strong relationship with the portraits, spending as much time with them as he did. Partly because he honestly felt he would do the same. In this room lay their biggest treasure, their legacy and it prided Arcturus to no end to see how much his heir cared for it.

"They seem happy to hear the news" Arcturus said bemused looking at the portraits who were now chatting excitedly with each other about Orion and recounting stories about the times they got their letter.

For a moment there the two Black men, both smiling and content to soak in the happiness emanating from the portraits, they couldn't have been more alike.

"I am proud of you my boy," Arcturus said being the first to break his reverie, " I know I have expected more of you than what could be considered fair or even remotely reasonable. He turned to face Orion. "However, you carry the fates of us all young one" outstretching his arms and gesturing to his family going back centuries. "I will be here for you for as long as I draw breath, however protecting all this for us and the future generations will soon fall to you.

Orion couldn't speak. His face etched in stone simply stared back at his Great Grandfather, doubt suddenly clouded his mind and as he gazed upon the legacy of his family he had to protect.

Arcturus chuckled as he read through the mask on the young lad's face

"Do not doubt yourself my heir!, a truer Black has yet to grace these halls. You have a destiny and I have no doubt you will carry yourself and this family to great heights"

Orion's face couldn't have broken into a larger grin as he embraced his father in all but name. He was a Black. The foundations of their world were laid by Black Blood, the blood that flowed through his veins. He would be worthy of it.

A pop was heard as they released from their embrace. They turned to see Kreacher bowing before them.

"Mistress Melania asks that you join the rest of the family in the drawing room masters"

"Speaking of grace" Arcturus spoke with an amused glint in his eye "Let us grace the rest of our family with our presence."'

With a push, the doors to the drawing room swung open and in front of Orion stood the what he cherished most. His family.

Toward the center of the room his aunt Andromeda was enjoying a cup of tea with one of the nicest women he had ever met in his entire life and one of the most intimidating. His Great grandmother Melania and Great Aunt Cassiopeia respectively. They were the first to notice him.

"Ori dear! Come here and let me get a good look at our newest Hogwarts initiate" His Great Grandmother gushed. Draco and Dora teased him incessantly about the way his Great Grandmother doted on him, while he outwardly flushed at the nickname, secretly he didn't mind.

As he moved to stand in front of her, she pulled him close.

"Oh, you look the spit of your Grandfather the day he got his letter bless his soul!"

Her eyes went all misty "It seemed only yesterday your mother brought you into this world… I am sure she would be truly proud to see the man you have become!"

Orion hoped so. Despite never really knowing her, when provided with the opportunity to view her portrait he refused vehemently. It was a wedding photo. he couldn't bear talking to a shadow of his mother knowing that she was enjoying one of the happiest moments of her life with the monster that would one day be responsible for her death. As per his wishes his Great Grandfather hid that portrait in the deepest depths of the Black vaults. the vague snippets of memories he had in tandem with stories about her from his family allowed him to conjure a vision of a brilliant woman. That was enough for him.

His thoughts were interrupted by his Great Aunt "Yes, yes very proud indeed, however was there ever any doubt? She said boringly.

"His aptitude for magic surpasses your son at his age, especially charms, he seems to inherit more from Orion than just looks. I expect similar results with runes which he seems to have a natural affinity for."

"His great grandmother and aunt chuckled "Only you could make that sound so mundane Cassie" Melania said smiling.

"He isn't perfect" she said sharply resting her eyes on the boy in question.

Orion gulped

"While his imagination gives him a flair for transfiguration his lack of patience prevents him from reaching his full potential. Nymphadora outpaces him in that aspect and the child can barely sit straight.

"But she is a Metamorphmagus. Transfiguration is in her blood!"

"Potions then" His great aunt replied primly.

"He understands the theory and technique and can even experiment yet refuses to work with the finesse required to brew them properly. Rather unlike Draco who while lacking in creativity is far more capable as he Is actually willing to take the time to let his efforts blossom. The end result is that while Orion may have a more potent potion, its toxicity barely makes it edible, whereas Draco's, with more work will become apothecary standard.

"What about Defence! I am great at that." He argued in an effort to save himself.

His Great Aunt wouldn't have it" Defense ha!" She cackled.

"You are the scion of House Black! The Dark arts are in your blood. You know our history well no doubt, I have seen you spend copious hours in the library educating yourself on it. You know our family magick gives us boons like no other. Especially for you. The leviathan blesses you with a talent for HIS magic. Magick from the deepest darkest depths of the void. magic that very few others can comprehend and only our family can use. Of course you are better than most in that regard. You couldn't be worse if you tried.

Orion looked down at the mark on his left hand. The mark given to him at birth. Thin as the sharpest cuts of from a knife, yet blacker than the darkest corners of the earth. His aunt was right. While Dora was a Black, she didn't share the same affinity for the family magick like he did. While she was a Metamorphmagus, He was the heir. What she would have to study hard to learn would come easier to him. Draco while of Black blood was mainly a Malfoy and that barred him from most of the Black family gifts in that regard, his name gave him different gifts. Ultimately Orion knew she was right, he could do better at those subjects if he tried but he just was always more fascinated by other types of magic.

As if reading his thoughts his great aunt's eyes softened

"You are not your great uncle Alphard, a dogwood wielding lose wand, you do not go for style over substance, brute force over subtle orchestration. I see it in your other work. However, focusing solely on one's strengths, a powerful wizard does not make. If our world is a canvas, magic is the paint. While you may prefer to use certain colours, for the masterpiece to be created, every colour is needed. Understand?"

Orion nodded fervently. "Yes, Aunt Cassie. I promise I will broaden my horizons.

She graced him with one of her rare smiles and pinched his cheek "There is a good lad. I have no doubt you will do me proud"

A great clang was heard from across the room.

"speaking of dogwood wielding loose wands." She sighed

"Orion be a dear and go and watch over your great uncle would you, I don't want a repeat of what happened last Samhain. Orion flinched slightly at the memory.

"And give me this" as she snatched the Hogwarts letter from his hands

"I shall like to make my corrections to your requirements list, I will not have a son of Black make do with equipment intended for muggleborns. Off you go"

"Oh, and Orion, tell Nymphadora to visit us would you. His aunt Andromeda said in a sickly-sweet voice that spelled impending doom. "Her great aunts Cassie, Melania and I would like to discuss her etiquette classes with her"

Only the woman of house Black could make such beautiful faces and smiles such as the ones they currently wore feel so bone chilling.

Orion simply nodded. He loved his cousin dearly but speaking outwardly in her defense on the matter at that point in time did not seem the wisest course of action regarding his wellbeing.

He found her standing alongside his Great Uncle Alphard imitating the face of a pig. He suddenly felt he could see a bit more clearly where the ladies were coming from.

"Ah there is the man of the hour!" His Great uncle called.

"Hey Uncle Alphard" Orion said as he hugged the man warmly. No one could claim to know the mind of Alphard Black. Despite being quite old, to the common eye he didn't look a year above 40, his eyes constantly alight with childlike mischief. He was by far the most insane living member of the Black family and while to most that may seem like a terrifying concept he was also the most fun-loving man you could meet, and Orion admired him for it. He was considered a conundrum by most he came across. He was a Slytherin like the rest of his family yet failed to show a hint of malice in his dealings with others and seemed to lack any ambition for power, authority or any of the usual things one may aspire toward. Yet to those like Orion who knew him well enough, they knew that Alphard Black could be considered the most Slytherin of them all. His cunning was displayed through his easy-going presence. While his brother Orion exuded an intimidating presence much like his father Arcturus, Alphard's friendly innocent nature allowed him to lull those around him into a false sense of security much akin to his mother Melania. It was easy to underestimate the both of them and Orion knew they were both capable of severe cruelty if they were pushed or worse, those they cared for came to harm. Further Alphard's ambition may be considered to surpass all others. Mastery of magic. His great uncle was simply fascinated by the entity and dedicated his whole life to understanding its nature and the myriad of ways it manifested itself in the world. As a result, his eclectic sensibilities sent him around all corners of the globe accumulating knowledge of magics most didn't know existed. Yet despite having such power at his fingertips he didn't hold himself in lofty esteem, he still thought of himself as simply Alphard Black.

Orion turned to his cousin with a pitying look in his eyes. "The ladies are looking for you"

The colour drained out of her face quite literally.

"How mad were they?" She whispered, her eyes darting over to the group of women chatting animatedly at the centre of the room.

"Well at least they were smiling…" Orion stated half-heartedly. Orion knew that was probably a worse sign than if they were simply angry and the look his cousin gave him said the same.

They both looked to their great uncle who was holding in his laughter with great restraint. He seemed to be failing quite miserably.

Orion looked toward Dora and put his hands on her shoulders "Hey don't worry I got my ear chewed out too. Try looking like Grandmother Walburga. I doubt it will get you out of trouble completely but at least when they see the pureblood princess in you they might go easy".

"Okay" she said and closed her eyes.

And before Orion's eyes Dora's shoulder length bubble-gum pink hair went charcoal Black and as low as her waist. Her features became sharper, her eyes darker and she became slightly taller. Now he was looking at Nymphadora Black.

"How do I look?"

His great uncle simply whistled in recognition while Orion simply stared.

"Like a princess" he said finally.

She hugged him tightly

"Wish me luck" she said as she walked over to the witches.

Orion chuckled quietly as he heard the gasps of shock and excitement from the centre of the room. It was the biggest irony that Dora hated the intrigue and subterfuge that pure blood society was known for, because if she wanted to she could wrap them all around her little finger.

"She is gonna be a terror when she grows up" his great uncle said interrupting his thoughts.

Orion simply smiled and nodded as he turned to face his great uncle.

"Sooooo… Did u get me anything?"

Alphard belted a laugh "ha speaking of terrors".

"You didn't think I wasn't gonna get my favourite nephew a gift on the eve of him leaving for Hogwarts, did you? "He said in a sarcastic tone.

Orion laughed in excitement. Since his Great uncle's expeditions took him to the most wonderous places around the world, it was a tradition that he always brought back a magical artefact as a souvenir for him.

"Go on what is it!" He exclaimed quickly

His Great uncle knelt down, closed in and whispered

"A secret"

Orion was still waiting but as his great uncle continued to stay silent he came to the heart-breaking realisation that was it.

"What?" He replied

"A secret!" His uncle explained

"A secret?" He questioned.

"Yes" His uncle replied. "A secret"

Orion waited for a few more excruciating seconds.

"Well what is it?!"

His uncle put on a mock expression of disappointment

"You don't seem to be that excited to hear it"

Orion knew his uncle was just trying to prolong his misery, so he did what he knew would work. He punched him in the arm.

"Hey!" His uncle cried out in half laughter and half pain

"That's not very becoming of the Scion of house Black" He said as he rubbed his arm furiously.

Orion grinned "I learnt from the best"

His Uncle laughed again "Too true young one, but don't underestimate the worth of secrets, knowledge is power after all"

"Now come in close."

"Considering you are off to Hogwarts I thought back to when your Grandfather and I went and what we felt we could have killed for during our time there, then it hit me, a map. "

"A map?" Orion raised an eyebrow

"Don't underestimate that castle" His uncle said sternly.

"it's a maze if I have ever seen one and it won't even bloody sit still. Each corner of it is teeming to the brim with secrets. It took our lot our entire 7 years to try and find everything and despite many hours exploring both during the day and after dark we knew there was still so much more to discover.

He smirked "Now knowing you brats I expect you will want to do the same and something came to my attention a few years ago that may make that easier for you."

Orion's interest was piqued, not having set foot in the fabled castle Orion was enamoured with it. It was one of the most magical places in the world, certainly the most magical in Britain. Orion couldn't fathom the amount of history those walls had stood witness to, the wonders it had seen, the innumerable great minds it nurtured on their path to greatness. It was as much a treasure trove of history and knowledge as Grimmauld Place was and he most definitely intended to discover all it had to offer. He read Hogwarts a history several times over and asked all his family living and dead about it and its secrets. Anything that could help him was worth a lot more than any single artefact.

Alphard continued "I knew a lad I was quite fond of years ago who with his three closest friends managed to craft a map. A map of Hogwarts, every room, corridor and secret passage, all on to a simple scrap of parchment. It's enchanted so it shifts according to the nature of that castle at that point in time. But that wasn't its party piece. It wasn't only a map of Hogwarts but everyone within it, with it you could see where everyone in the castle was at any given moment.

Alphard's face took on a mischievous smile "Now you can imagine how that might be of help during certain expeditions after dark"

Orion's smile then matched his Uncle's. The possibilities were endless… He was sure with the formula to create that map, and with a little help from Theo and possibly the twins, he could recreate the charms and enchantments. Then the castle would be their Mermish oyster.

"that's brilliant! With the formula I can have the map made in no time" Orion enthused

Further machinations were interrupted by another one of his Great Uncle's laughs.

"Formula?! Ha. Sorry old sport I can't help you there. Those kids were the brightest of their generation…" his Uncle said suddenly quite wistful.

"What happened to them?" Orion asked curious to his Uncle's sudden change in mood.

"Either dead or as good as…So much was lost in that war" Alphard said softly.

"They and many like them had so much potential…All gone. And now you all are forced to pick up the pieces…" Suddenly his uncle seemed quite old and there was pain visible in his face. It reminded Orion how terrible those times were.

"Anyway, enough of my ramblings. Back to the matter at hand" and just like that Orion saw a man who looked so old and weary at that moment disappeared and in his place, was the jovial man who he was bantering with moments ago.

"The lads had the map confiscated in their final year, it was part of a plan to leave it as an inheritance of sorts for their children when they went to Hogwarts. To carry on the legacy as they would say"

"Now I am sure the last thing they would have wanted was to have that map rot in a grumpy old caretaker's office forever, so I bequeath my knowledge of its location to you, in the hopes that you will carry on that legacy. He said jovially, though Orion noticed something in his eyes, for a mere moment he saw a flash of…guilt? He wasn't sure, and It was gone as soon as it came.

His great uncle looked at him for a long moment "You remind me of him you know. I am sure he would have wanted you to have it"

Orion didn't know what to say. His Great Uncle gifted him something quite precious.

"Thanks Uncle Alphard" His words were few, but he knew his Uncle understood how much it meant to him. He embraced his uncle strongly.

When they separated the mood felt lightened.

"Oh, I almost forgot when you find the map it will look like a simple piece of parchment. You have to say incant the following to reveal its secrets. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good"

Orion laughed at the brilliance of the phrase. Further discussion was interrupted as the floo flared, signally the arrival the Malfoys.

Orion excused himself to go greet them.

His aunt was the first to walk through. Narcissa Malfoy was considered the pinnacle of sophistication. The way she carried herself exuded an elegance and grace that made her stand out even amongst the other Black women. She took on the task of personally instructing Orion in the necessary customs and protocols befitting a pureblood of his stature. He knew she expected perfection and he didn't intend to disappoint.

He was the first to greet her

"Good morning Aunt Narcissa, might I say you look as radiant as ever". He said with an aristocratic drawl as he bowed and placed a chaste kiss on her hand.

His aunt gave a knowing smile "Why thank you my dear sweet nephew, you are far to kind. Congratulations on making it into Hogwarts, I am sure you will do our family proud."

As she came close to place a kiss on his two cheeks she whispered, "You do lay it on a tad thick though don't you think?"

Orion chuckled softly "I am sure you wouldn't have it any other way my delightful aunt."

A conspiratorial smile graced her lips "Keep that up and we may have to worry about the bevy of beauties sooner than anticipated"

Orion blushed

She patted him on the cheek and moved on to greet the rest of the family. How these women could have such a profound impact on him Orion would never understand.

Just then the fire place flared again and in walked the Scion of House Malfoy.

"Draco!"

"Orion!"

Orion loved Draco like a brother. It wasn't simply because they grew up together, all purebloods did. It was because Orion knew if anyone understood him it was Draco. Their lives were kindred. Lucius Malfoy was tried and convicted as a Death Eater and just like Orion's own father resided in Azkaban. While many would consider Orion's single-minded determinism to avenge his family obsessive, Draco understood because he was the same way. The fate of House Malfoy, a family that was once almost as prolific as the Black's now shared a similar fate, and it fell to him to restore it to its rightful state. Theirs was a friendship forged out of stone, Orion would always be there for Draco, just like he knew Draco would be there for him.

"What took you so long?" Orion said as they moved to sit down

"I was busy being your house elf" He said in his customary drawl.

"You weren't answering your floo calls so my fireplace was filled to the brim with the enflamed heads of our friends asking where you were.

Orion grinned guiltily. He should have expected his friends to have called him.

"Sorry old bean, I was- "

"With the portraits I know. I knew you would speak to them first. If you remember correctly when we were growing up It was up to me and Dora to wake you up when you fell asleep in there talking to the portraits.

"That was only the one time!" Orion whined

"Still funny though" Draco grinned

"Git" Orion muttered

They chatted for a bit more till Melania called out to them

"Boys! Time for lunch."

Aunt Melania was a fantastic cook. She enjoyed cooking herself rather than letting the House Elves do it, the boys didn't need any more encouragement.

"Coming Grandmother" They shouted in unison.

After a few hours and a delicious lunch, the family settled down for tea.

Draco and Dora eyed Orion to ask the question they all wanted to know the answer to.

"So, when are we heading to Diagon Alley?" he spoke up.

The adults shared a knowing grin. Andromeda spoke.

"Now I know you three would love nothing more than to head out for the alley today, but I am afraid you will have to wait.

The disappointment on the children's faces was obvious though they knew better than to argue.

Andromeda continued "Come now children it wouldn't do to be caught and bogged down amongst the riff raff" The excuse was a poor disguise. He knew it was because their presence in the crowded alley wouldn't be well received, while this was often the case regardless, going later would mean they would miss having to deal with most of the crowds.

"So, we shall be attending next week" His aunt finished

That wasn't too bad Orion thought. However, he still knew he would be counting the days till the trip was upon them.

Authors Note

Sorry for the delay! Thanks for being patient with me guys and gals. After weeks of not too much going on I was suddenly bogged down with dinners, parties, not to mention the Last Jedi came out. Sadly, that last one was probably one of the most disappointing experiences I have ever had. I'm afraid this hectic schedule will only continue in the weeks to come and, so I hope you bear with me. I was hoping to have a chapter per week posted but that seems unrealistic at this point so I shall aim for fortnightly instead. As a fervent fanfic reader, myself I know how annoying long droughts of no updates without any explanation can be. So, I promise if I cannot keep to my schedule you will know when and why. All that being said this chapter is a beast in comparison to the previous ones, so I hope you find the wait was worth it, it was a tough chapter to write. Introducing you to the rest of the Black family was an exercise in immense restraint as there was so many opportunities to discuss the intricacies and nuances of not just their personality but experiences and perspective on the wider wizarding world. However since this is a story with progress to be made I cut large sections out and rewrote them. I consoled myself as I was slashing the over bloated chapter by saving those into an archive which I could draw upon in later parts of the story. The family magick is meant to be spelt that way and is meant to be vague right now so don't worry, however I am interested to see if some of you know which franchise I am drawing from in regards to the Black family Magick. I would also like to take this time to get some welcome housekeeping out of the way mainly thank you to all who have followed, I am honoured you gave this story a chance. Special Thanks to Yaw6113, HPMarvel and Haikha for being my first reviews. It was a thrilling experience and I would love to hear more from you and others. I shall be taking a break for a couple of days during which I intend to go back and fix chapter 1. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review or comment.

Character References

I was having a discussion with my friends over how we read our stories. To me the words act as blueprints for the world so that I can construct it in my head and essentially view it as the story takes place. I think this is pretty universal however when it came to the construction of specifically characters things differed between us drastically. For me I would use the few inferences made about the characters appearance and general personality and find the closest Actor or Actress I have seen in film or T.V and use them instead. This however was apparently not the commonly used approach by my friends at least. They said most of the time they didn't picture the face at all, rather they would simply picture the individual features e.g. Harry Potter would be messy hair, skinny and glasses. Now as the reader you are allowed to consume the content however you like, that's frankly one of the things I like most about books is that they are so open to interpretation in the way you picture and imagine its contents. However, I would like to co-opt a concept used by another author whose name and fic I sadly can't recall and write out some character references for how these characters appear in my head. You don't have to use or adhere to these whatsoever. If you picture a character differently and prefer it that way feel free to do so, I would prefer you did, however for those who would like to see how I imagine these characters looking, hopefully you will enjoy this.

Arcturus Black – Sir Ian McKellen. Not too old like from Mr Holmes but rather more like the early X men films, just his hair a little longer and wavy.

Melania Black – Based on her personality I picture her as looking like an older version of Sybil Crawley from Downton Abbey. You will find a few Downton people here.

Cassieopia Black – Hope Davis from Real Steel. Just with Black hair.

Andromeda Black – Sandra Bullock. I know she is meant to look the spit of Bellatrix, but I honestly couldn't see her that way. When I look at the actress who played Nymphadora It seems much more plausible that Sandra Bullock was Andromeda because she can pull of elegance as well as be a bit rougher like Dora.

Narcissa Malfoy – Rosamund Pike. The actress who played Narcissa in the movies simply didn't seem pretty enough, Rosamund however seemed to fit the bill. Either her or Kate Blanchett who I could also see as a great Narcissa.

Orion Black Senior – A young Jeremy Irons. He has the hair and the lean look but what really sold me was that found footage of him singing "Be Prepared". The way he emoted when he got into the lines was exactly how I imagined Orion Black being. Especially the laugh. It's how I imagined the crazy Black maniacal laugh sounding. It's like a more formal version of the Joker laugh and just as bone chilling if not more.

Alphard Black - Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Imagine season 1 Jamie Lannister and now you're cooking. Him being a bit of a rebel even amongst the Black family makes me picture him with not blonde but a dark brown hair colour with some greys and blacks dotted to account for the age. Personality wise I feel he nails it. He is generally light hearted and above all the politicking but has a darker side.

Harry Potter – I like Daniel Radcliffe in the potter movies but I like certain versions better than others. Mainly I am picturing Prisoner of Azkaban or Goblet of Fire movie Harry when I read my fics. The order of Phoenix short haircut not only goes against him looking like James but makes him look quite bland. Perhaps that was the point to make him look that sickly but the hair didn't really grow back much in the later films.

Nymphadora Black – Same as actor. Let's stick to the Order of the Phoenix version though. I get they were trying to emphasise the fact that she was a metamorph by changing her appearance every time they showed in the later films, but they went way too far with some of the later looks and it detracts from her features in my opinion.

Walburga Black – Mary Crawley. I feel her portrayal felt way to one dimensional in the books. Mary however while generally colder than others is caring when it matters. She also fits the pureblood lady feel perfectly.

Orion Sirius Black – Tough one with no clear answer. Don't really have a person for him in my head other than the way I described him. The closest I could get was a teen Jon Snow and if that works for you go for it but as much as I love Jon he tends to be a bit of a dunderhead at points while Orion is quite the opposite.

I shall continue to write out more in subsequent chapters as the characters become relevant in the story.


	4. Chapter IV The Cauldron

Chapter IV The Cauldron.

DISCLAIMER : All rights pertaining to the intellectual property that is Harry Potter belong to J.K Rowling. I own no part of it.

"The Leaky Cauldron!"

Not for the first time that week familiar green flames enveloped Orion's vision. He had been in and out of fireplaces quite a lot recently. It wasn't every day one's child attended Hogwarts. Pomp and Circumstance was the order of the day as grand dinners and extravagant parties were being held in children's honour. Orion found it quite humorous that despite being in their name, the children themselves found it the least enjoyable.

A distinct gush of wind indicated this was his grate, bracing himself Orion landed with a grace that denoted years of experience upon the ebony wood floors of the cauldron.

As he moved to the side to await his family Orion chuckled as he was reminded of his close friend Nott's regaling of the state of Neville Longbottom at the lavish party that was held in his name. Apparently, the boy was in a state of perpetual terror as he was dragged along by his grandmother being postured about like a new broomstick to the distinguished guests in attendance. The event was so traumatizing that by the end of it the heir was said to have been left a bumbling mess. As much as Orion would have liked to have been there, he held no illusions that he or any that carried his name would not be attacked the moment they stepped foot on the family grounds.

'There's just too much bad blood.' Orion mentally sighed.

While Longbottom's reaction was most certainly extreme, the sentiment was shared by most of the cohort. Orion unsurprisingly held a contrarian stance. He understood the value of such gatherings. What better place to find people of note and interest? It was through events such as those where everyone from Alchemyst's and Magizoologists to Enchanters and Spooks could congress and discuss their work, share ideas and most importantly gain patrons.

While the ignorant malcontents continued to complain about the opulence Purebloods resided in despite seemingly doing nothing but gather and hold exorbitant soirees, Orion knew it was under such circumstances the greatest advances of the magical world came to fruition. Under the guise of pleasant conversation negotiations took place. Negotiations where men and women of worth would propose their inventions and innovations to the lords and ladies with the wealth to invest in their enterprises. It was these enterprises that manifested within the Wizarding World as new potions, magical contraptions and even advancements in the magical art itself, whether it be the discovery of new runic symbols, invention of new enchantment patterns and arithmancy formulae.

Orion cracked a gleeful smile. 'and that's only what we do during our free time.'

What stubbornly ignorant Muggleborn critiques of the wizarding world failed to grasp was that magical fortunes such as those owned by families such as his were not fashioned by a simple wave of the wand. Neither were they made to last in perpetuity. It was their smart investment of wealth in successful ventures and upkeep of owned businesses that granted them such luxuries. And that didn't even account for their own personal exploits. The Black family and others like it didn't hold the positions they held today simply because of their mercantile acumen. They were some of the most powerful wizards and witches of their age. One couldn't open a charms, defence or any other magic tome of worth without finding the Black name spread throughout it. Since their inception the Blacks have served in every important institution whether it be the Ministry, where they have served in various capacities from department heads, chief warlocks and even served many a term as Minister for Magic, to Hogwarts where they have served as professors as well as Headmasters and Headmistresses for generations.

Orion clenched his fists. 'How dare they say we haven't done our fair share…We built this world, and now they say we have no part in it.'

Orion shook his head in a manner not unlike a wet dog drying itself.

"Nymphadora's right…" he scolded himself.

He thought too much.

He decided to cast his mind toward more cheerful thoughts and observed one of the most important establishments in the wizarding world. If Orion was forced to describe the Leaky Cauldron in one word he would say quaint. An accurate description but one he believed did it a disservice because it was so much more than that. While denizens of wizarding sovereignty's around the world certainly had a penchant for the grandiose. The Leaky Cauldron had been uniquely lionized in the eyes of magi specifically because of its modest air. While grand structures such as Hogwarts with its vaunted halls were representations of what to aspire toward, the cauldron with its humble trimmings was a reminder of what not to forget along the way. Each other. No matter your status, race or creed you were magical and that's all that counted. It took centuries of pogroms, witch hunts, entire civilizations brought to ruin to realize that. And while we tended to forget once in a while, wizards and witches were a tightknit bunch, if you were a magical you were virtually family and that meant inside the Cauldron whether you were Minister of magic or a muggleborn with a newly discovered birth right, you were welcomed all the same within its old yet sturdy foundations.

Orion couldn't help but smile at that.

His fond musings were interrupted by the familiar sound of a resounding thud at the fireplace next to him. Years spent living with his cousin prepared him for what followed.

Nymphadora groaned as she once again found herself falling face first onto the Leaky Cauldron's ebony wood floors, yet as always just before an impact that would have surely required an enervate from her mother, her cousin's long arm came into view outstretched, grabbing and hauling her toward him.

She landed in his embrace and found herself looking up at the extremely familiar smug face that he wore.

she quickly extricated herself from his arms and whispered threateningly

"Not one word…"

Orion simply nodded. They both knew she was born a bit of a flat foot with two left feet and as much as she tried to hide it he knew she was self-conscious about it.

Orion then watched on trying his best to maintain his composure as his cousin tried hopelessly to rid herself of the soot that would often cover the visage of the mediocre floo traveller.

Her efforts were interrupted by the arrival of their guardian, Andromeda Black landed with a grace that had clearly not been inherited by her daughter. One look at the two children and the woman simply sighed her face wearing a look of resignation as she pulled out her wand, no doubt well versed in the particular scenario she faced.

A simple wave and Nymphadora's encounter with the floo was a distant memory.

"Come now you two" She said primly "I shall have a word with Tom before we set off, we are to meet your aunt Narcissa and Draco after our business outside Gringotts."

The loud boisterous nature of the pub allowed the three of them to weave through without garnering attention. Orion noticed that the crowd seemed more excited than usual, something had happened. As they passed through he listened in on the snippets of conversation.

"he was shorter than I expected"

"did you see his clothes, why was he dressed like a muggle?"

"did you see it! Did you see the scar!"

"He shook my hand! Harry Potter shook my hand!

Orion stopped dead in his tracks. Harry Potter was here. He forgot that he was the same age as him, it made sense that he too would be here for his supplies. Nobody had seen or heard hide nor hair of him since that day 12 years ago. Even his Great Grandfather, with all the family's spies and informants at his disposal said he was not aware of his whereabouts. Or maybe he just didn't want to tell him. Not that it mattered anyway, Orion bet the family vault Albus Dumbledore was protecting the boy and would no doubt make it impossible for them to get near him without garnering attention. He was snapped out of his thoughts by his cousin waving at him from a table where she had gone on ahead. He quickly moved to join her.

"What's the matter" his cousin asked in concern. Dora could always read him better than most.

"Nothing, nothing" he said too quickly. He didn't know what to do with the information himself, it wouldn't do to force turbulence on another's thoughts. Dora gave him a long look showing just how little she believed him but trusted him enough to leave it alone for now.

They turned their attention to their guardian who was at the bar speaking with the Innkeeper Tom. Tom Diagon of the family Diagon for which the alley was named, like his establishment was known for his humility. Despite his affluence, he was never seen wearing anything that exuded wealth or status, usually being found in simple brown robes meant more for function rather than fashion. It's what made him so different from men like Dumbledore and as much as he hated to admit it, families like the Black's. The Diagon's despite their heritage never sought ascendancy to the status of Most Ancient and Noble, nor did they want for power, in fact despite the immense influence the family held over the wizarding populace, they were notoriously known for their staunch refusal to take part in politics. While at face level Orion loathed this stance, simply because he believed if one had the capability to work for his people, he had the moral obligation to do so. He understood that it was Tom and his family's refusal to pick sides which was what allowed them to play their pivotal role as a warden of the Wizarding World. Something they had done for centuries. It didn't matter whether you were light or dark, Pureblood or Muggleborn, Tom Diagon judged you on your character. It was why he and his aunt were chatting like old friends right now. Tom like everyone else knew what Orion's father did, but unlike most others he did not hold it against the rest of the family who he had known in his long life to be noble and honourable.

"Mother told us to wait here, not for our ears apparently." Nymphadora spoke in hushed whisper.

That stumped Orion.

"What business? And since when has business not been for our ears?"

"It couldn't be about the Cauldron could it?" Nymphadora postured.

Unbeknownst to most, the Cauldron wasn't a private establishment. It was bought into by a number of important families, each of which acted as a sponsor providing funds and the resources to make sure the Cauldron wanted for naught. It was a decision made by one of Tom's ancestors, Duncan Diagon. "No witch or wizard should ever be left to want for a drink, a meal or warm bed. No matter one's wealth, this Leaky Cauldron should be able to provide" It was with those words he offered to sell part of the establishment to families he believed were both willing and able to help make those words a reality. Its why despite its modest looks you could always find the finest drinks, courtesy of the Ogden family and every luxury you could want for an un dear price. The Black family was one of its largest investors and if Orion wasn't mistaken the Potters were too, but he didn't know if that was still the case. Regardless, the sponsors had no say over the running of the establishment, that would always be under the purview of the owner. So what business could his aunt possibly want to discuss.

"No, it can't be…Even if it was it would have to be serious not to include us." Orion concluded.

He got up from the table and edged nearer to the adults in question to try and catch the conversation. Not halfway there He found a familiar buzzing filling his ears. He knew that charm well.

"She is using muffliato" he cursed to his cousin when he returned to his seat

"I could have told you that" she said with a smirk.

Orion smiled sarcastically.

Careful to draw as little attention as he could Orion extracted a small tinder box from deep within his robes. While its dark grey metal exterior provided an unassuming guise, an eagle's eye would be able to spot the engraving of several runes encompassing the borders of the lid. To the muggle and average witch or wizard, the contents revealed themselves to be a simple set of matches and flint, whereas to the owner the extension charms gave them access to whatever bits and bobs they owned within reason.

Orion leaned into the box and whispered "Starlings whisper"

Out of the abyss of the box a pair of small metallic birds appeared landing on the palm of his right hand. At a fingers width each in size the birds could almost be mistaken for Bertie Botts with feet, if not for the intricate almost life like detail.

What are those? Nymphadora asked her curiosity peaked at the sight of the artefacts.

A gift from Uncle Arcturus from his trip to Canada last year.

"What does it do?" She asked

"A wizard never reveals his secrets" He whispered conspiratorially.

Nymphadora rolled her eyes and slugged him in the arm

"You used to be more fun" Orion grumbled as he nursed the wounded limb.

"Hurry up, we may miss it!"

Orion rehearsed his Uncle's words in his head.

'You don't need a wand for this one, just clear intent. Signal your desire with your mind and simply will your magic to aid you.'

Orion closed his eyes, then waved his left hand over the birds in his palm, concentrating, drawing forth the familiar rush of magic in his veins. As he opened them again he found the two inanimate birds sprung to life, rapidly moving about the palm of his hand their eyes now glowing a leaden blue.

He shared a smile with his cousin and with a reaffirmation of intent he turned to her

"Now watch this"

One of the starlings flew off at a pace even a seeker would find a hard time keeping track of.

Orion tapped his cousin on the shoulder as she was still looking for the airborne starling.

"Don't worry. This is what you need to pay attention too" he said pointing at the second starling which remained on his palm.

Within moments the familiar buzzing sound of the Muffliato charm was escaping the now open mouth of the stationary Starling, though it was slowly becoming vaguer as the magic of the artefact overrode the charm.

Suddenly they could hear their Guardian's voice through the device.

"Nothing else from Bridgemore" They heard her say worriedly.

Orion and Nymphadora both paled drastically. Bridgemore? What did the coven have to do with this they thought?

"No mam, nothing. I only received this for young Nymphadora" who instinctively started to protest before her cousin shushed her.

They both turned to see Tom handing over a small box, it was rectangular, about the length of a quill and seemed to be crafted out of a dark metal. Orion caught a quick glimpse of some markings but couldn't make them out before his aunt hid the item of interest within her robes.

"This has never happened before. What are those witches up to now?" Andromeda spoke with a frustration that Orion knew was shared by most of the family, it was always hard to decipher the witch's machinations.

"I wouldn't worry child" Tom's grandfatherly voice echoed through the Starling. "I have convened with the Bridgemore's for this particular purpose since the days of your grandfather. I suggest you simply ask Ollivander when you go to see him. He will surely have an explanation. I highly doubt they will leave their chosen one with nothing."

Andromeda simply nodded.

Orion's thoughts were a storm. What was the item in question? Why didn't he receive one? Why would Tom and Ollivander know about it? What were they doing convening with the Bridgemore Witches anyway? Orion doubted any beyond the family knew of their existence.

He looked up from the Starling at his cousin who judging by the overtly pale colour of her skin and her hair, now an electric blue, signalled she shared the anxiousness regarding what was heard.

"Watch the morphing. She might see" Orion said.

She immediately reverted back to her usual guise.

Overhearing the niceties signalling the end of the conversation Orion swiftly recalled the airborne Starling's, disenchanting them and placing them back in the tinderbox.

"Children! This way!" They heard their aunt call.

They walked up to the bar to join her.

"Morgana bless my soul, who's this?" Tom said as he walked around the counter to greet us.

"Orion and Nymphadora Black"

"Don't call me Nymphadora" she couldn't help but say.

Her mother moved to scold her, but Tom waved her away.

"No of course not." He said chuckling "You may have your mothers looks but I see so much of your father in you. You know the day he came here he was so excited. He was constantly asking questions about everything from school houses to hippogriffs. He nearly drove Professor McGonagall mad. And If I am not mistaken he too held an aversion to his proper name. If I remember correctly he was asking me about what was so good about fire whiskey. He told me later his father ran a muggle pub in London. Nevertheless, Minerva who you will find to be a strict professor no doubt, but one with a secret heart of gold. When it was time to leave she shouted from the entrance to the alley "Theodore! This way!" I saw your father's face contort with anger then, and much like the way you said now he shouted across the room "Listen cat lady! The name is Ted. Don't forget it."

Tom finished with a booming laugh. "Many of the patrons who were well aware of the transfiguration professor's reputation were stunned into silence, before they started raising pints in his honour. The cub who stood up to the lioness they called him. A muggleborn he may have been, but a better wizard was hard to find.

Nymphadora blushed heavily but was also beaming. Orion could see how happy she was at Tom's words. She only knew about her father from tales told by her mother. To hear from someone else about how he was meant the world to her.

As he looked to Orion, Tom's face lit up, his eyes sparkling.

"Wait here just one moment. I have to show you something." Tom abruptly stood up.

Andromeda tried to stop him "Perhaps another time Tom, we really must be getting on. Lots to do and all" Her voice betraying a slight nervousness at what the old man had planned.

"Nonsense Andie, this is a family tradition" he said in a jovial voice and ran into the back rooms.

He came back carrying a large chest, one that Orion could sense was protected by a plethora of advanced charms and wards. What could possibly be worth protecting that much he wondered.

As Tom set to unlocking the chest with his wand, activating with a wave of his wand a deluge a metallic clinks and clanks as the chest unlocked himself.

As he did so he said, "I have stood ward over this world for more than one hundred years." He spoke both looking and sounding quite old at that moment.

"In that time, I have seen many awe-inspiring things, but nothing has been more magical than living to see generations of young wizards and witches just like yourselves, go off to become the Magi that will build and craft the world around us for the better."

The chest lid creaked open.

"My family has kept these as both mementos for us and reminders to you that the path you are about to set off on is one that has been walked by some millennia of Witches and Wizards before you, that your actions shape the legacy of our entire race. "

From within the large chest he pulled out a smaller black box with a sigil on it. One Orion recognized immediately as the sigil for House Black.

Tom continued seeing the excitement build up in the children's eyes.

"The greatest thing about old, large families is that they have left a history of their own. Here look at this." He said as he passed the two of them the box

He passed the two of them the box which they realized held a collection of photos, and memory glass. It didn't take either of them long to realize who the pictures were of.

"It's our family…" Orion whispered.

The two of them started picking through the images. Orion was mesmerized. Dozens of old photos and memory shards. Generations of his family, witches and wizards all staring back at him, standing where he stood now, each of them about to embark on the next stage of their lives, just like him.

"Mom, it's you!" Nymphadora exclaimed. Orion cast his eyes in the direction of his cousin's gaze. She was holding a picture of three girls. In the middle stood a girl who at a first glance by her tall elegant stature he picked out as his Aunt, with her long black hair hanging at the waist. She was whispering and giggling along with two young girls. One of whom he could immediately pick out as his Aunt Narcissa with her blonde hair a stark contrast to the rest of the family. He grinned at her antics, he knew she would be mortified knowing he was aware she wasn't always the picture of elegance and sophistication. As his eyes rested on the final sister however a chill went up his spine. As he watched the young pretty girl in the photo laugh Orion flinched at the thought that one day that laugh would eventually become one that would haunt the masses as one of the most terrifying sounds in all the wizarding world. By this point their guardian walked behind them, her arms wrapped around them both.

Andromeda smiled wistfully her voice slightly teary as she spoke

"Yes, that was me. This was my family a long time ago."

Orion couldn't imagine the pain she felt. Despite never living to see a time where his family flourished, Orion never envied his aunt or the rest of his family. While he couldn't remember a time when they were able to walk the streets freely without having people shy away in fear, he also never had to experience the pain of losing it all. Orion felt guilty of being partially relieved at the thought. He couldn't fathom the pain of watching your world crumble to dust around you.

"Hey, look at this one" Orion said, diverting people's attention to more lighter thoughts.

Orion stared at the unique portrait. This while showing a young man like many others, was different in a number of key ways. Firstly, it wasn't a proper moving portrait, while the figure was animate, he only acted out a small number of set poses before resetting. Secondly and more apparently it wasn't a photo. Rather a physical illustration done by quill on a piece of parchment. Then lastly there was the boy himself. He wasn't garbed in the traditional robes, instead seemed to wear a tailor fitted suit which while opulent was extremely muggle, nor was his hair kept long like other members of the Black family, his was cut short and combed well.

"Do you know who that is?" Tom asked, noticing Orion staring at the piece of parchment.

"Great Uncle Marius" Orion spoke with a smile on his face.

Tom chuckled fondly "Of course you do. A Black that doesn't know his heritage is no Black at all."

"You know it was considered an embarrassment to have a squib in the family in those days.

'It still is' Orion reflected sadly, people simply kept quiet about it.

" Your Great Great Grandmother Romilda didn't care. She loved and cared for Marius just like she did her other children. When I took photos of your great grandfather Arcturus and his brother Pollux to mark the day they got their wands, they said they weren't going anywhere until their brother got a picture too. I remember your great aunts being particularly adamant in making sure their big brother got his picture. The problem was, back then I could only use memory shards to imprint their images."

Before moving pictures, magi would have their memories captured and imprinted onto glass panes, it was still a tradition old families such as the Black's partook in. The problem was, it was the subjects magical signature which allowed the shard to take shape, something Marius being a squib lacked.

"However, your Great Great grandmother was nonplussed. "Simply draw it" she said. Whipping out her wand she used the Sonorous charm calling out to the patrons of the bar, asking if there were any illustrators looking for work. A man from the Ministry of Madras spoke up and with the payment of a few galleons your family got that picture drawn for your brother."

Orion's smile was wide. He had never heard that story. Being a squib meant that the family didn't see Uncle Marius too often. He had gone on to make his own life in the muggle world, though he was still close to the family. He and Orion exchanged letters whenever possible, in fact most of the Black scion's knowledge of the muggle world came from Marius himself who would patiently answer all of Orion's missives, send him gifts containing mundane objects and even once when Orion was a child once took him on a trip through London.

He had become quite a successful businessman and was well respected in the muggle world. Orion remembered the innumerable occasions his great grandfather Arcturus spoke fondly of him, saying "Mar showed us that it wasn't simply our affinity for magic that made our family what it was, it was our will to aspire to greatness."

"My brother had that in spades" he would say proudly. "It's not hard to find a wizard but it would be harder to find a truer Black."

Unbeknownst to Orion, during his reminiscing the mark on his left hand awoke with a furore, emanating magic bestowed upon him by an entity older than time itself. Those in his immediate vicinity noticed the usually warm, cosy atmosphere of the Cauldron dissipate. The temperature dropped rapidly taking on the texture of a wintry zephyr, the lights dulled noticeably, and the air took on a foreign aroma.

Tom at one moment recognized the distinct scent of sea air that took a hold a whaling ship traversing stormy waters only to notice it give way to the smells of a northern wood, his senses overpowered by the smell of fallen leaves off tall trees, ancient and uninviting yet teeming with hidden life.

"How sweet…" Orion uttered suddenly though words left Orion's mouth dripping with sarcasm, with a voice that was not his own. It sounded old yet young at once and echoed with every syllable, it was one not of this world.

Andromeda drew a sharp breath, it was a voice she had heard only once before, but she would never forget it. Swiftly she moved to Orion grabbing him by the shoulders, wrenching him toward her.

"Ori" she whispered.

Her heart stopped at the sight that greeted her.

Orion's face wore a smile, though it did not belong on his face, it wasn't small nor honest like his usually were. It was cold and sent a chill through her very bones. Though it was not his smile that shook her very being, it was his eyes. Orion's eyes once grey as stone were gone. All that remained were their sockets, not empty but filled with an unending blackness, dark as the void.

"Release him!" She hissed vehemently.

Orion's grin grew more pronounced "Andromeda Black. It's been far too long…" The foreign entity declared.

"It is not his time, he is not ready." She stated both fury and fear in her voice.

"If only you knew the events that are about to transpire…" He stated ominously. "This world, one which has bored me for some time, now has me spellbound in fascination" he drawled.

"And your lad is poised to stand at the centre of it all. Bring him to me Andromeda, I wish to speak with my heir. Bring him to Bridgemore, I await our communion with bated breath." He finished with a manic laugh.

Before Andromeda could reply, Orion's eyelids fluttered shut. She grabbed him before he could lose balance. He was gone.

Andromeda looked to Tom and Dora. The innkeeper looked calm but deeply troubled, Dora as much as she tried not to show it was clearly terrified.

"We do not speak of this. Ever." her voice calm but deadly serious clearly conveying that she would brook nothing to the contrary.

Dora simply nodded, the normally talkative young girl unable to bring words to her mouth.

Tom however seemed conflicted, after a prolonged silence he finally spoke.

"You have my word."

Andromeda continued to stare at him significantly.

Understanding what she wanted he pulled out his wand and affirmed the vow with his magic.

"Thank you" She replied with a sigh of relief, she didn't want to obliviate him.

Orion's lids slowly started to open, Andromeda was pleased to see his startling grey eyes returned.

He glanced about in confusion.

"Auntie…?" Orion found himself greeted to the sight of his guardian's face, a look of relief clear across her face.

"Ori" she sighed, enveloping him in a tight embrace.

"What happened?" He asked his puzzlement growing

"You blacked out." She said plainly.

"I what?" Orion asked in shock.

"Not your fault sweetheart, it was the photos" She said nonchalantly gesturing toward box of pictures.

"The chest hadn't been opened in a long time and the build-up of magical residue from the memory shards discharged when you opened it." She lied with an easy grace expected of members of pureblood society.

Orion was baffled. He had never heard of magical residue from a memory shard causing someone to black out, even if it was possible, why couldn't he sense it beforehand? He looked to Nymphadora for an explanation, but he simply found more puzzlement. His cousin who whenever she could would be in a state of morph was now completely devoid of any transfiguration. She looked normal. Something was afoot, but Orion knew he wouldn't get answers right now. He simply nodded, accepting the excuse.

Orion extricated himself from his guardian's embrace and moved to return the photo of his Great uncle Marius to its container, one last time gazing at its contents. He cast his eyes upon the photos with longing wishing he could take them with him. He ultimately however rebuffed the thought, they deserved to stay with Tom, and with that he shut the box and turned to the innkeeper hand extended.

"Thank you." He began, his voice taking on a formal inflection. "You have done us a great honour by safeguarding these treasures. To us family is everything. For you to continue to care for them despite… Orion's voice choked up as looked down to the floor. Great anger and shame coursed through him as he was reminded again at how low his family had fallen due to the crimes of his father and aunt. He persevered however as he raised his head to face Tom. He would not run away from his families past as to do so would be to forsake who he was. Orion was a Black and he would carry that name with pride and if that meant subjecting himself to a life of apology and beg-pardons then he would do so with grim resignation. With eyes renewed with determination he continued, "- recent affairs…..." he finished delicately "It's an act of kindness we will never forget. "

Tom gripped Orion's hand with vigour "You owe me no thanks young one." He said voice filled with sadness "Your family has done much for this world. I am sorry that many have forgotten that. But perhaps you will remind them. Show them why the Black name has stood almost as long as magic itself" He finished with a smile.

Orion simply nodded.

"Oh, and before I forget I have something for you." He reached into his robes and pulled out a small box, the size of a chocolate frog box, though it seemed far more ornamental, with decorative engravings encompassing it.

He placed it Orion's hands.

Orion looked up at Tom with confusion not understanding what he was receiving. He opened it up and found a silver locket. It was beautifully crafted, composed of links individually marked with runes. The container it carried was crafted out of obsidian and was in the form of a raven, its eyes carrying two blood red rubies.

When Orion opened the contents, his heart stopped. He looked to Tom his eyes conveying a storm of emotions. Andromeda and Nymphadora looked on in confusion.

Orion his mask a face of stone spoke his next words in a whisper "How did you get this?"

Tom placed his hand on Orion's shoulder in a placating gesture. "He…" Tom spoke with significance "Left it in my possession before that night, I do not know why, nor do I care". "I do know one thing however and that is that if anyone deserves to have it, it's you…" He said looking into the boy's eyes.

"She would have wanted it to come to you."

Orion returned the piece of jewellery to its box and placed it his robes.

"Thank you" he said his voice filled with emotion. Tom would never know how much his deed meant to Orion.

Valedictions were exchanged and the party of three finally moved to depart toward the Alley. As they moved toward the exit Tom called out to them from the bar.

"Don't forget! Next time you will have to have your pictures taken, I make no exceptions!"

Orion and Dora signalled their affirmation, as they headed toward the entrance. Spirits high. The alley awaited them.

Author's Note –Hi guys and gals! I know, I know. I say two weeks and end up taking a month. My sincerest apologies, writing this chapter has been like riding a massive rollercoaster for the past couple of weeks. Though I hope as you hear my reasoning that you find the delay justified.

Firstly, I started writing this on vacation. A terrible idea. I could never get comfortable and properly slip into the zone. Writing for me requires a very specific environment and I couldn't find that away from the comfort of my home. Despite it all however I managed to write down a couple of paragraphs though this actually ended up hurting me in the long run as when I had returned I had to use that as the foundation to continue writing the chapter. While there was nothing wrong with the content itself, I felt disconnected from it because I wasn't in the zone when I was writing it. So, I decided to take a couple of days off, stop writing for a bit so I could come back with a fresh mind.

This is where the second reason for the delay came in. I wanted to go hunting for some new source material. While I may not always be writing I am always concepting, thinking of new ideas to implement whether it be lore, characters, scenes etc. The thing with Harry Potter which is both a blessing and a curse is that while J.K Rowling has crafted an entire world, she hasn't fully flushed it out. This has been good because that's the type of property that is brilliant for Fanfiction writers who want to use it as a foundation to tell whatever type of story they want. That's why Harry Potter is by far the biggest property in Fanfiction. Though the downside is this is hard to do so properly without being inconsistent or simply world breaking.

For example, I have been thinking about the way I imagined the magic in Harry Potter worked for a long time, despite the majority of the books being centred around a school, in the grand scheme of things you don't learn too much about the intricacies and nuances of the world, its history, magic and how it functions. I don't mean this as a critique of Rowling's work. In fact, I believe out all of the fantasy works that exist out there Harry Potter is one of the few that actually delves into how the magic in its world works. That being said there is still a lot of stuff that's just not explored especially in regard to the history. Though I can understand why. She wants to tell a story; the books are ultimately about Harry's adventure and it's a testament to her ability to weave world building that we know as much about the world as we do without simply writing a lore book. She has given us the breadcrumbs necessary to build off. And that's what I intend to do.

When I was still in the stages of building the universe for my story, I was drawing from a number of properties which I believed explored aspects of magic in a way I found, could be great additions to the way magic is handled in Harry Potter. During my self-imposed exile from the world of writing I went online and found these books again, deciding I would read up on them.

Also, just as a note to some of you who are concerned this Fic is going to be a horrid crossover filled amalgamation of works. I promise you that could not be further from the truth. While I may borrow some ideas from other works and throw my own in this is still very much harry potter, so don't worry.

If you are interested by the way I could embed a list of the works I will be drawing from. You in no way have to read, watch or play any of it to understand the fic and in fact I would somewhat prefer if you didn't simply because you may see something familiar and develop expectations regarding the direction I would take it based on the original work when in fact I would have probably changed it to suit my sensibilities and that of the story's anyway. That being said I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of you have read this stuff already. Anyway, if you are interested in the list, feel free to ask for it in the review/comment section and if I see you guys are interested I will put the list in next time.

Now onto the next part of my sordid tale. I came back after a couple of days rearing to go and…. nothing. Full writers block. I knew exactly where I needed to take the story and yet I felt both physically and mentally unable to take it there. I expected it to hit me some time or another but not like this and not this soon, but I guess there is no rhyme or reason for when it hits, nor is there any apt time. However, I'm not a quitter and I knew that if I kept at it I would eventually get out of the rut. And I was right, it did, last Thursday I wrote so much I thought I would have the chapter done and posted in a couple more sessions. This is where things started to degenerate again. The problem was I couldn't stop writing. I had written around twenty thousand words all up for this chapter, all happening within the Cauldron. I just kept coming up with new ideas, new scenes, additions to the lore, giving insight into the world's history etc.

The chapter ended up becoming an over bloated mess and the process of editing it and finding what was worth keeping, saving for later or simply dumping was a nightmare. I planned on updating on the 1st of February with a ten-thousand-word chapter which was only a couple hundred words away from being "finished". Reading over it however showed why it's never good to drag out the writing of a single chapter over the course of a month. I had lost sight of the purpose of the chapter and what I finished with was disordered chaos. Knowing I couldn't publish this, I sat down with a cup of coffee and went on a slashing rampage cutting out excess scenes, saving what I still thought were great ideas and throwing them in the archive to draw on in later chapters. I realised keeping things simple was the best, so with some more editing and rewrites I ended up with the chapter you just read.

I didn't expect the Cauldron to take up one chapter. The original plan was to get everything that needed to be done in the alley covered in one chapter, but it seems things haven't shaken up that way. I didn't want to abuse your patience too much, so I decided it would be best to release this now, so as to tide you folks over until the next instalment.

Now time for some housekeeping, first and foremost Black Son has hit its first milestone! FIFTY FOLLOWERS! Thank you all for your support, this being my first fanfiction endeavour, your support means a lot to me and I shall do my best to be worthy of it.

Special thanks to HPMarvel, Yaw6113 and BrotherCaptainShepherd for the reviews.

In regard to your question shepherd apologies for not being abit clearer on the ages. While it seems so simple in my head I sometimes forget you guys aren't in there with me and I need to account for that. I am messing around with the ages quite abit. Main reasoning is that great characters I felt got a bit side-lined in the books mainly because they were not in the same age group. I aim to fix this so yes Orion, Fleur and Nymphadora are all the same age. I shall be sure to be clearer next time you run into a character I have tampered with. In regard to the Sirius Black question I'd rather not spoil the story, so you shall just have to wait. Though I guess it's not too much of a give way to say that things are more than they seem.

Oh, and just in case people weren't aware Chapter 1 is fixed by the way. I noticed when I reposted the chapter the update date didn't change so I wasn't sure if you guys got the notification. I recommend you give it a reread cause I have dropped some more lore bits in there that I feel give insight into the way I see magic in Harry Potter.

This has been a hell of a job trying to post this chapter and I am already feeling the law of diminishing returns. My writing well has run dry, so I plan on taking a break. The plan is to have the next chapter up in a fortnight. Again, hope you all enjoyed the chapter, please feel free to review or comment, your feedback is always appreciated.

Character References

Tom Diagon – Christopher Plummer. Not as young as in Sound of Music but not as old as in The Man Who Invented Christmas. Somewhere in between there lies Tom Diagon. Perhaps give Sound of Music Plummer some greys in his hair but keep the voice and you are on the mark.


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